Look beyond the décor: Staffing at senior living communities matters.

Ask Ede Iversen about the staff at the retirement community where she lives and she rattles off a long list of favorites. There's Amanda, who helped organize the Village Players, a group of residents who like to perform. There's the boss, Marti, who runs the place but is so approachable. There's cheerful Theresa, who worked with residents to raise money to refurbish the community's prized piano. There's Jim, the head of the IT department, who fixed Iversen's phone. And, of course, there's helpful Sarah in the dining room. The list goes on and on.

"The staff here gives us whatever we need," says Iversen, who lives at Smith Village in the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. "They're wonderful."

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Staffing is one of the most important features of a retirement community, but it's often overlooked when seniors and their families consider new housing options. It's easy to be taken by the fancy new coffee bar in the lobby, or the spa in the fitness center.

Nice amenities matter, of course, but experts advise elders and their loved ones to take a close look at staffing. How big is the staff? What are their qualifications? Are the right kinds of workers available?

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"It's important to ask questions," says Signe Gleeson, founder of ElderCare Solutions, a Naperville-based firm that helps navigate housing and care issues for seniors. "You want to know that residents are getting good care."

Staffing varies depending on the housing type. Skilled nursing facilities have larger staffs than assisted living buildings. Skilled nursing facilities will also have more licensed health care workers, such as registered nurses. Independent living communities tend not to have as many staffers since the residents don't need much help. Workers at memory care facilities have special training in managing those with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

Ask about the resident-to-staff ratio, advises Gleeson. In other words, find out how many residents there are for each staffer. Residents are likely to get more attention when there are a low number of residents per staffer.

Those communities also probably have good working conditions because staffers aren't under as much pressure. That often translates into better relationships with the residents.

Good working conditions can result in less staff turnover too — a common issue at retirement communities. "Caregivers who aren't stretched usually have great job satisfaction," Gleeson says. She advises consumers to ask about staff turnover when touring a community. Find out how long the administrator has been there, as well as the director of nursing.

Medicare.gov has a section that compares nursing homes, including staffing levels. Consumers can find the number of staff hours per resident, per day for specific buildings.

Monarch Landing in Naperville has about 500 residents and about 350 employees. The community, which will eventually have 650 residents and 500 employees, offers apartments for independent seniors, assisted living suites, and a skilled nursing care unit.

The assisted living and skilled nursing sections are organized into households — a growing trend in senior living. A small group of rooms for about 16 residents are clustered together near amenities such as an open kitchen and living room.

Staffers trained to handle most every task are assigned to particular households. "We want our staff to build relationships with the residents," says Renee Garvin, executive director at Monarch Landing. She explains that residents who encounter the same staffers regularly are able to build trust, while the staffers come to know the residents and anticipate their needs.

Ongoing staff education is important, and a way to judge whether a community cares about its workers and residents. For example, Monarch Landing holds an annual safety fair to teach the staff how to keep the environment safe, such as how to respond during a weather emergency. "We invest in our employees," says Garvin.

Recently, Kurt Schick helped his parents move to an apartment at GreenFields of Geneva, a retirement community in the western suburb. "My parents probably wouldn't be here except for the staff," says Schick. The staff explained everything thoroughly before his parents moved in. And now, as residents, they still get lots of attention from the staff.

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Every time Schick visits he meets staff members he hasn't met before. "They make us feel good," he says. "It's just reinforced the decision to move."

Many retirement communities have specialists on staff. Executive chefs often create the daily menus. Dietitians design meals for those on special diets. Fitness trainers work with residents on exercise and activity routines.

Smith Crossing, in Orland Park, has a social service director who acts as a liaison to families who have a relative in assisted living, nursing, or memory care. She works with residents to help them make the most of every day, says Frank Guajardo, executive director at Smith Crossing. "We spend a lot of time with residents," he says. "They become like family."